


Lip-Locked Luck Swap

by Phantoms_Echo



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Author should really go to bed, Comedy, Hakuba is not as innocent as people make him out to be, Hattori has got this corpse timing down to a science, He can't even walk straight without his Luck, He thinks he has entered a parallel universe, I should have done that, It's detective conan, Kaito does not, Kaito is lucky as all get-out, Kudo gets lucky, Luck Swap, M/M, Minor Swearing, No longer Oneshot, Only way his day can get any worse would be to include fish, Poor Kaito, Rookie OC for KaiShin to mess with, Slightly - Freeform, Superstition, Thank Gnarynhar for that, and find better tags, dead bodies, of course there's dead bodies, that or the matrix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2018-12-10 01:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11681349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: Kaito didn’t know what had happened. He’d been fine this morning! His hands were sneaky-quick, his doves in tip-top shape and his tricks went off without a hitch.Now, none of that was happening and he had the addition of-!“Kyaaaaaaah!”A dead body.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito 1412, only the events and plot of this fic.
> 
>  
> 
> Author's Note: So, this was more just a random plot bunny, but I wanted to write it down before I forgot. If anyone wants to write a full-length thing, feel free! Just do that 'inspired by' thing so that I can get links to your work and read it. I'm aching for some reading material.

Today was a good day for Kaito. The heist the night before had made the late night, early morning, _and_ late morning news. The gem hadn’t been Pandora, but Kaito had been able to match wits with a new detective, Kudou Shinichi. After the teenage detective had returned from his four year disappearance with an organization downfall under his belt (one strangely like the one Kaito had helped Tantei-kun take down), he’d been eager to get into the spotlight once again.

Surprisingly, that meant coming to Kaito’s heists and attempting to catch the elusive Kaitou KID.

It seemed to be a common theme with detectives –Nakamori, Hakuba, Tantei-kun, and now Kudou-keiji. Yes, the detective had become an _actual_ detective once he’d returned, caught up on school work and graduated. Kaito only knew this because Tantei-kun’s onee-chan had called Kudou by the title.

Kaito was getting off track. Where was he?

Oh yes! Heist on the news, gem in the post, and a mug of hot chocolate from his favorite cafe in hand! He had a full day of heist planning, trick practicing and show performing in the park later today. The only thing that could have made this day any better would have been Tantei-kun at the heist, but well…

When a kid has to go to America to be with his family, Kaito won’t stop him. No matter how much the magician will miss the kid genius. It was with thoughts of Tantei-kun and his well-being in mind that Kaito totally missed the person in his way and crash head-first into a person.

Or rather lip first.

With said person.

Who was Kudou Shinichi.

Earlier stated detective.

And now Kaito’s shirt was stained.

With said mug of hot chocolate.

Kaito pulled back with a yelp, both in shock and pain.

“I’m so sorry!” Kudou said, despite the fact that he, too, was covered with Kaito’s piping hot drink. “I didn’t see you there!”

“No, my fault! Totally my fault!” Kaito waved him again, grabbing a fistful of napkins and accidentally upending the dispenser over himself and the floor. It was a train wreck! First, running into someone, then _kissing_ the person he ran into, then spilling his _drink_ all over _both of them_ and now this-!

The only thing to do to avoid further embarrassment was to _run_.

“Here, let me buy you a-!”

Kaito didn’t hear the rest of what Kudou Shinichi had to say. Instead, he got to his feet, not bothering to dust himself off, and leapt through the open cafe door, narrowly missing the latest customer.

And Kaito had been having such a good morning too! He’d wanted to make a good impression on the detective when they met, dang it! He’d been the one recommended by Tantei-kun! Now Kaito could never show his face to Kudou Shinichi ever again!

Well… at least the day couldn’t get any worse, right?

*             *             *             *             *

Shinichi didn’t know what had happened. He’d been fine this morning! He’d helped with three cases on the way to work and his deductions were spot on!

Now they weren’t.

Or, well, they would be, if he ever got to reveal them

But he didn’t get to. The criminals just up and caved the second he looked at them. They just poured out the entirety of their plans and motives, just like that!

Don’t get Shinichi wrong. He appreciated the truthful confessions and the fact that the cases closed quickly…

But it took the fun out.

After the fourth time, he had to wonder to himself, just how this came to be.

“You know, I’m used to you having at least _time_ to throw out some theories -right, wrong, or indifferent,” Satou-san said with a confused frown. She crossed her arms, “But recently, you just _look_ at them, and it’s like they immediately regret everything they’ve done.”

“Not only that,” Takagi-san added in _oh so_ helpfully, “But you’ve actually had to be _called_ to the crime scene! Rather than being there before anyone else. That’s happened three times now!”

With the fourth time being with Takagi when the body fell on the other detective.

“Who knows,” Ran said, taking a sip of the drink she’d packed Shinichi for lunch, “maybe your luck has changed?”

“Yeah, but for better or for worse?” Shinichi grumbled, giving up on his juice. Ran and he had tried the whole relationship thing after he’d gotten his body back, but it… just… didn’t work. Not like how he had fantasized. Not like she had wanted. Being friends… it wasn’t what he wanted, but it was what worked. That was the best he was going to get.

“I’m with you,” Satou-san muttered into her sandwich, “I don’t know whether to be grateful that you don’t always get first dibs on the body… or to curse your name for the criminals basically giving up! I don’t even get to do car chases anymore!”

“And we _all_ know how much you love those,” Shinichi drawled, using his chopsticks to play with his rice.

“Well, can you think of anything out of the ordinary?” Ran asked, interest peaked, “Something that could have, I don’t know, changed your luck?”

“If luck was an actual _thing_ and not just some non-scientific substance made up by those without enough skills to handle life,” Shinichi cut himself off mid-rant after seeing Ran’s glare, “No, I can’t think of anything.”

“What did you do during your coffee break?” Takagi-san asked, “You came back with a different shirt than you had this morning.”

“Ah,” Shinichi looked down at his blue button-up shirt, remembering his _literal_ run-in that morning. “Some guy at the cafe walked into me. Spilled his drink on both of us and dropped the entire napkin dispenser on himself. Then he got up and ran out of the door so fast, I thought the cafe was about to detonate.”

“Despite the hilarity of the situation,” Ran chewed on the end of her chop stick, “I can’t see anything changing your luck there. Did anything else happen?”

“Hmm… not that I can think of,” Shinichi scratched at his chin, “oh, wait. We kissed.”

The three others immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at him.

“You did _what_?!” Ran shouted.

“Kissed?” Shinichi frowned at her. Was it really so hard to believe? He’d kissed _her_ before.

“With _who_?!” Satou-san demanded, slamming her hands onto the table they were gathered around.

Shinichi leaned away from her cautiously. “The guy I ran into? We kind of… fell? Together and our lips just…” Shinichi shrugged. It’s a thing that happened. He didn’t see the need to get worked up over it.

“ _That’s it_!” Takagi-san jabbed a finger in Shinichi’s face, causing the new detective to lean back even further. “ _That’s_ what changed your luck!”

Shinichi narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“It’s a classic tale of luck swapping!” Ran crowded in, eager to add her opinion. “With a kiss, you got his luck and he got yours! And the only way to get it back-!”

“-is to kiss!” Satou-san finished, finally getting with the program. “Kudou, you need to find that guy! Right now!”

“Why?” Shinichi scowled, “It’s not like luck is a _real_ thing! And besides, if it is, isn’t this kind of luck better for the department as a whole?”

“It’s not the department I’m worried about,” Satou-san said sternly, eyes serious. “With or without your luck, you’ll always put the criminals in their place. It’s _him_ , I’m worried about.”

Shinichi squinted and tilted his head, hoping that would make the situation make more sense. It didn’t. “I don’t follow.”

“Think about it!” Satou-san smacked a hand against the table, ignoring the way it made their drinks slosh. “You’re a detective. You find bodies. More bodies than the department sometimes knows what to do with! What is that guy, the one who ran into you, gonna do?”

And Shinichi… kind of saw where she was going with this.

“What is some non-detective going to do when he finds himself surrounded by dead bodies?” Satou-san demanded, driving the point home.

Shinichi sighed. This issue wasn’t going to go away until he did something about it.

Right then, the news came on with a body in a family-friendly park (not-so-family-friendly anymore). It was close to where Hattori had decided to do his first year of police work, but far enough out that Shinichi was fairly certain that it wasn’t caused by his friend/rival’s “luck”.

The three people at the table stared him into submission.

“Ugh!” Shinichi rolled his eyes. “ _Fine_! I’ll give Hattori a call.”

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito didn’t know what had happened. He’d been fine this morning! His hands were _sneaky-quick_ , his doves in tip-top shape and his tricks went off without a hitch. The news had sang his alter-ego praises for the death-defying, _lucky_ feats of the night before.

Now, none of that was happening and he had the addition of-!

_“Kyaaaaaaah!”_

A dead body.

There was a dead body in the park he performed at for kids and it was one of the parents of his favorite little girl who always brought him a flower from the ground and _this wasn’t how he wanted his day to go!_

“Oh, Kudou! Nice to see you here!” a thick Osakan accent from behind startled Kaito into a weird spasm-flail. “O~kay? ...You all right there, Kudou?”

“Ah, I’m not Kudou,” Kaito turned to answer, nervous smile on his face, “I’m Kuroba Kaito? Main witness?”

“Oh, you’re right! My bad!” the Osakan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “thought Kudou was just having a bad hair day.”

“No problem,” Kaito said. He was ignored when the Osakan’s phone rang. The detective took it out, glanced at the name and seemed to light up like a light bulb.

“Kudou!” the detective said, _loudly_. So loudly that Kaito couldn’t help but listen in. Three instances of Kudou Shinichi in two days? Something wasn’t right. Where had his lady luck gone? “Yeah, I’m here with the body. What’s up?”

The phone volume must have been turned to max because Kaito could hear the response several feet away.

_“You got a guy that looks like me there? Dressed as a magician? Possibly a street performer?”_

“Yeah, lead witness.”

 _“Don’t let him escape_!” that was a woman’s voice, but it didn’t sound like Tantei-kun’s onee-chan. Had Kudou moved on already?

“Eh? He do something wrong?”

 _“_ _He stole from Kudou-kun!”_ And that… was a guy’s voice. (Kudou must work fast, not that Kaito blames him. He’s checked out that detective’s splendid backside.)

Saying words like ‘ _steal’_ that… hit too close to home for Kaito. It caused a shiver down his spine.

“Huh?!” the Osakan detective whirled on Kaito, catching him listening in.

Kaito flinched from where he was eavesdropping on the conversation. Would his luck allow him to stealthily sneak away? Or would he inevitably get caught?

Had they found out he was Kaitou Kid?

No, that was impossible. Nakamori-keibu lived _right next_ to him and he _still_ hadn’t figured it out.

Then again… Kaito might have the advantage anywhere Nakamori-keibu was concerned.

A sigh from the phone and Kudou-keiji returned, “ _Don’t listen to them, Hattori, and just… hold him until I get there, all right?_ ”

“Got it,” So-called ‘Hattori’ said with a dark look. The detective snapped the phone shut and shoved it into his pocket, dark look getting darker. “Hey, Kuroba-san, I have another detective coming by to ask some… questions. Mind waiting in the car for me?”

“Am… am I under arrest?” Kaito squeaked, feeling his palms break out into a sweat. No, this shouldn’t be happening! Poker face, poker face!

Where was his poker face when he needed it?!

“No, no, of course not,” Hattori soothed, the fakeness of the action rubbing Kaito the wrong way. “We just don’t want the press trying to interrogate you, you know?”

No, Kaito _didn’t_ know, but it’s not like he had much of a choice. He couldn’t exactly run off when the lead detective on the case was herding him towards the police car. If he tried to run, no doubt he’d be made as the murderer -motive, weapon, or not.

But if he stayed…

Kaito’s inner dilemma was put on hold as Hattori shuffled him into the backseat of the car. The door closed and Kaito found himself in the exact place he’d been dreading since he’d first donned the KID suit four years prior –separated from the world by bullet-proof glass and handle-less doors. There was nothing Kaito could do now but sit and wait.

So, swallowing his fears, he did just that.

*             *             *             *             *

 “Hattori!” Shinichi called out as he ran up. The Osakan looked over and waved. “Sorry for the wait!”

“No problem.” Hattori shrugged him off. “Run into a case on the way?”

“Try more like five,” Shinichi sighed, trying to calm his breathing.

Hattori’s eyes went wide, “F-Five?! You’re only late enough to have solved _one_! Are you waiting on evidence or…?”

“All of the culprits confessed,” Shinichi answered. And watched as Hattori’s jaw dropped.

“When did _you_ get so _lucky_?!” Hattori demanded, getting up in Shinichi’s face. “What happened to the guy that got shrunk? And attacked with knives? And freakin’ – _shot in the gut_?!”

Shinichi narrowed his eyes at his fellow detective. “I thought you didn’t believe in luck.”

“I don’t believe in _magic_ ,” Hattori corrected with a put-upon frown. “Give me enough instances of bad luck like _you_ have and I’m inclined to be a little more faithful.”

“I’m not _that_ _bad_ ,” Shinichi grumbled, crossing his arms defensively.

“Anyway,” Hattori cut in, “how did you happen to turn your luck around?”

“Well, _if_ there’s such a thing as luck, which I’m _not_ inclined to believe,” Shinichi shot Hattori a look, “Takagi, Satou and Ran all believe that it happened this morning when I ran into this guy at the coffee shop.”

“The same guy you had me hold onto?” Hattori asked, leaning back on one leg and putting one hand in his back pocket. “So, what? Run into him, get magical good luck?”

“Well, he _did_ spill his coffee on me…”

“My _gosh_ , if I knew all this years, your bad luck could be reversed by _spilling coffee_ on you-!”

“...and we kissed.”

“-I would have done it a lot – _wait, what_!?” Hattori whipped back around so hard that Shinichi’s neck ached in sympathy. “You did _what_?!”

“Kissed.”

“With a total _stranger_?!”

Shinichi winced, “Well, it wasn’t on _purpose_. He ran into me, we fell to the floor, and our lips just kind of…”

“You made out with a stranger on the floor of a cafe in the middle of the day,” Hattori summarized with an evil grin. “I’ll make sure the entire department knows of this.”

“Not. Funny. Hattori,” Shinichi seethed. “That’s not what happened and you _know_ it.”

“I’m sure Satou-san and Takagi-kun will be _more than willing_ to back me up on this.” Hattori said as he turned to lead the way to his car. The man from earlier that morning was waiting patiently in the backseat, seemingly at ease with being in the back of a cop car.

Shinichi wondered what that said about the kiss-stealer.

“Anyway, I’m guessing you need to kiss him to get your luck back?” Hattori asked, looking over his shoulder as he dug out his keys. “How many cases did you solve with your good luck anyway?”

“Yes, that is the plan. And if by ‘solved’ you mean that the culprits just flat-out confessed, no questions asked -nine.” Shinichi sighed, “I didn’t even get to _look_ at the crime scene! It just takes all the fun out of it…”

“Nine cases…” Hattori paused with his keys in hand, “Kudou.”

“Hmm?”

“Those cases don’t count.” At Shinichi’s confused look, Hattori elaborated, “Our case tally. Those nine don’t count. I’m still one ahead of you.”

Shinichi rolled his eyes. “Those might not count, but the three I did before work sure do.”

The Osakan cursed colorfully before jamming his key into the lock and wrenching the door open. “Just _get in_!”

Shinichi crawled into the back seat.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito had convinced himself that they did not, in any way, shape or form, know that he was Kaitou KID. He believed they didn’t even _suspect_ that he was KID. Otherwise, Nakamori would be on the scene, an entourage of guards would be parading around his temporary holding cell, and he would be in the middle of a trip downtown for his international crimes trial.

None of that was happening, so Kaito was safe.

For now.

With his luck the way it was, he didn’t put much stock in keeping his identity for long. However, as long as he used the diversion tactics his parents had taught him and kept all conversation away from his alter ego, he should be fine.

Fingers crossed.

Kaito felt his heart jump when Kudou-keiji arrived on the scene, but he kept his Poker Face in place. He couldn’t let them know they were getting to him. That would empower them and make them suspicious and-

Kudou was coming his way.

Oh shit, Kudou was here _for him_.

Kudou, cousin of Tantei-kun, who probably had more insider info than Kaito should have ever given him, even if he was a kid, because it was going to get back to someone like _this_ and _Kaito was so dead_ -!

They were at the door, talking about cases and tallies. They were messing with him! Kaito was really just a token in a game these two were playing. That’s all Kaitou KID was to them! Nothing but a cheap playing piece to be used and _discarded when they were through_ -!

The look in Kudou-keiji’s eyes was fierce, shockingly reminding Kaitou of his much younger cousin that had been KID’s shadow for months before he went home. That look was of determination, criticism and smugness that let Kaito know he was about to be had.

 _Shit_.

Kudou-keiji _knew_.

Kaito _knew_ he knew.

In their sparse two encounters, the detective had figured out that Kuroba Kaito and Kaitou KID were one and the same. All those articles about his genius were _true_.

Maybe…

Maybe if Kaito confessed, he’d get some leniency? Surely Tantei-kun would have told Kudou-keiji about all the help Kaito had given him, about Kaitou KID’s real reason for stealing the gems, and _surely_ Tantei-kun had put in a good word for Kaito, right? That’s the _only_ reason a homicide detective would have attended his heist, the only reason.

That’s got to be it!

That’s why Kaito wasn’t surrounded by the Taskforce or listening to his rights being read to him. Kudou-keiji was giving him a chance to cooperate, settle this quietly, _and maybe_ even drop the charges. Kaito’s heart had been in the right place after all!

All Kaito had to do was-!

The car door opened and _shit_ -Kaito isn’t ready for this! He isn’t ready for his life to be over! He has to make nice before the next fifty-odd years of his life go down the drain of prison-!

Mind running in circles and crashing in on itself, Kaito opened his mouth to confess…

...and found himself lip locked to the same guy from that morning.

*             *             *             *             *

So… the guy from that morning was actually a good kisser, Shinichi decided. After a brief freeze, the guy seemed to just… go with the flow. What should have been a quick peck on the lips ended up involving way more tongue and teeth than Shinichi had intended, but… he couldn’t exactly say he regretted it.

He liked the kiss… a lot. Probably more than he should have.

Pulling back, Shinichi straightened his tie and made an attempt at his hair. Hattori was giving him a sly side-eye, stupid smirk proud on his face.

“Hattori,” Shinichi cleared his throat, “mind giving me a ride?”

“Sure~” Hattori slurred, still all smug smiles. “Where to?”

“Anywhere that’s been lacking in murder recently,” Shinichi answered in lieu of true directions. “Need to check if this ‘luck swap’ worked.”

“Um… can I get out now?” the guy from that morning asked. Shinichi paused to look at him. The guy looked normal enough -cheeks a little pink from the kiss and breath a little ragged, but he seemed fairly calm.

So why was Shinichi getting nervous vibes from him?

There was something… in the way he talked? No… his eyes?

“No,” Shinichi answered, closing the door and climbing into the passenger seat, “We have to drive somewhere, but we’ll let you go after we get some confirmation. Where are you from?”

“Ekoda,” the guy answered amiably enough.

“We can’t just drop him off, Kudou,” Hattori rolled his eyes as he buckled up. “Kuroba Kaito is the main witness for the case in the park.”

“Well, he’ll probably become a main witness in another case in approximately fifteen minutes,” Shinichi replied. “Want to go somewhere near your headquarters so that it’s easier to get his statement for both?”

“Don’t see why not,” Hattori shrugged and started up the car. Ten minutes later, they were in a fairly popular shopping district not too far from Hattori’s department HQ. Shinichi stepped out of the car and helped Kuroba-san out as well. The man was still nervous, but Shinichi couldn’t quite put his finger on how he knew. Kuroba-san’s face was a perfect mask.

“Go take him over there, Hattori. This shouldn’t take more than five minutes.” Shinichi ordered, walking across the street, “We need to make sure it’s me, not him.”

“Got it!” Hattori said as he dragged the eye witness after him.

*             *             *             *             *

 “Um… what are we doing?” Kaito asked. They’d arrived on scene roughly five minutes prior and had done nothing since. Kaito would have been fine with that, but he really needed to get his mind off the… _kiss_.

“We’re standing,” The Osakan detective answered.

“Ok~ay,” Kaito put his hands in his pockets and found a coin to fidget with, “for how long?”

“Give it about…” Hattori hitched up his sleeve to get a glance at his watch. “Ten more seconds.”

Right on time, a body fell from the sky and landed on the road right in front of Shinichi. The Tokyo detective gave a thumb’s up to Hattori.

“And we’re good to go!” Hattori clapped a hand on Kaito’s shoulder, startling the gob-smacked magician. “Thanks for your help! Now, we’ll need you to stick around for the statement, but you’ll be good to go!”

“Hattori, wait until after we find the suspects!” Kudou-keiji hollered at them, “I want to make sure they don’t just confess.”

“Got it!” Hattori answered, waving his acknowledgement. Turning to Kaito, he gave an apologetic smile, “Looks like you’re stuck with us for a little longer. I hope you don’t mind. It shouldn’t be too long.”

Kaito _did_ mind, actually, because _any_ extra time spent with Kudou-keiji was too much extra time, but he couldn’t very well leave before he’d given his statement. Besides, the Osakan was right. It only took another five minutes to parse out possible suspects and, after staring hard at each suspect for a few seconds, Kudou-keiji gave Hattori and Kaito the go-ahead.

Kaito wondered just what, exactly, the detective had been testing.

After giving his statement of _both_ cases, Kaito was released and able to return home.

“Wait!” Hattori called out after him. Kaito paused at the entrance of the police headquarters, looking back in bemusement. The Osakan held out a slip of paper, “Here, in case you want to get in touch with Kudou.”

“Um, thank you,” Kaito smiled his best fake smile, hoping that his desperation to be away from detectives and dead bodies didn’t show through too much.

“No problem.” Hattori grinned widely, “I figured you might have some questions as to _why_ he accosted you in the car, or…” here, Hattori’s grin turned devious, “to ask for a repeat.”

Kaito gulped.

As quickly as it had come, the change in character disappeared, “Have a safe walk home!”

Kaito nodded and left, card gripped tight in his hand.

He really should _not_ call Kudou-keiji up. He should not call the detective up to ask about the temporary incarceration or the weird kind-of kidnapping. He should _definitely_ not call the detective to ask about the… _kiss_ and _especially_ not for a repeat.

...but…

He might be able to _possibly_ call the detective up to ask about his cousin over in America whom Kaito had befriended long before the brat left.

If he was sneaky enough, he might even get Tantei-kun’s phone number so he could annoy him during the day. Or get blackmail on the newest detective on the block. Who knew?

Kaito felt like his luck was finally turning around.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Magic Kaito or Detective Conan, only the ideas and events in this fanfic.
> 
> PS -This was not a planned update. I just started going through my large inbox and hit on this:
> 
> gnarynhar:  
> The only question I'm left with, is that doing to happen every time they kiss? What if things get heated and they lose track? All I can see is a lot of phone calls along the lines of :  
> "Uhh, Shin-chan?"  
> "Oh no... where?"  
> "*location*"  
> "Okay, I do have a case, so let me just get the confession and I'll be right over to fix things."
> 
> My answer: Yes. Exactly like that. :)

Shinichi yawned and leaned against the counter where his coffee steadily trickled into the carafe.

It was just past eight on a Saturday morning on his day off from work and he was up far earlier than he would ever wish to be. Saturday was his one day to sleep in every week and everyone in the station _knew_ that. So while he knew the reason they called and woke him up at 7:30 was for a very good reason –it didn’t mean he had to like it.

He’d rather crawl back into bed and finish enjoying his lazy morning.

Speaking of bed…

Shinichi grinned to himself as he poured a mug of coffee. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he thought of the other person sharing his house, his bed, and his life.

After Conan, he’d tried to work things out with Ran and he did, indeed, work them out… just not the way he’d intended. She was off with a new boyfriend now and living life to the fullest. Shinichi thought he’d never be able to get over her.

Until Kaito fell into his life. Literally.

The two of them had run into each other at a café, fell on top of one another and accidentally swapped ‘luck’ (which Shinichi didn’t believe in, but his evidence was slowly growing in quantity). The whole incident had let Hattori to shoving Shinichi’s number into the amateur magician’s hands with a suggestion of calling the detective –and Kaito had.

Except, he called for ‘Conan’s’ number, claiming to be some friend Shinichi’s ‘cousin’ had made while in Japan.

Given that Shinichi, as Conan, knew that he had never befriended Kuroba Kaito, the detective knew that the other had been lying. But the reason why? That took a little guesswork, but the answer left Shinichi feeling painfully stupid.

He’d asked the man to meet with him, accused Kaito of being KID to the magician’s sputtering denials, and then proceeded to walk into an ambush of his own when Kaito demanded _how_ he’d known.

Needless to say, there was a lot of talking and excuse-making, but they’d finally aired out everything between them. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, Shinichi and Kaito were happily living together, Shinichi’s books piled into the library and Kaito’s birds out in the rose garden that they’d both worked on. Well… Shinichi helped with the dirt. Kaito did the rest.

The ‘Kaitou KID’ thing was still an issue between them, because Kaito was technically doing illegal activities, but it was in the name of justice and taking down an evil organization and Shinichi had firsthand experience about how non-legal one needed to get doing that. As long as Kaito agreed to reveal himself to Nakamori-keibu and make sure that Pandora was taken care of, Shinichi was sure he could finagle a pardon from his friends in the FBI, CIA, and Secret Police.

Yes, he knew that was really Interpol’s area, but he’s sure that _someone_ owed someone else a favor that he could cash in. Shinichi was lucky like that.

What he was _not_ lucky in, were cases like these, where he was called in too early and a day too late and he really just wanted to sleep.

Shinichi sighed as he rinsed his coffee mug and left it in the sink. As he did up his tie and buttons on his jacket, he couldn’t help but feel as if he was forgetting something, something important, but… Nah, he had everything he needed on hand. Besides, if it was important, he was sure it would come back to him.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito wasn’t entirely sure what woke him up at 8:05 am on a Saturday, but he was up and that was that, no going back to sleep. He grabbed for the other side of the bed, wanting to curl up into the warm human pillow that usual took up the other half of the mattress, but Shinichi was gone. He sighed into the pillow. That must have been what woke him up.

It wasn’t unusual for Shinichi to get late night or early morning calls from work. He was the best detective they had on pay, usually cutting investigation times down by half. The entire department saw him as some sort of godsend –which also meant that they tried to respect his time off when he had it.

A miffed Shinichi was a dangerous one.

Kaito had already had to talk him down from resigning three times in the last month. Not because Division One needed him or anything, but because Kaito knew that Shinichi really enjoyed his job and would immediately regret his rash decisions.

The department had gotten better since Kaito stepped in, but there were some times like now that it was just unavoidable.

Still, Kaito wished that he had gotten his morning kiss.

Ever since their luck-swap the first time they ‘met’, Kaito had been wary of kissing the detective in anything less than pairs. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10… any time they kissed, Kaito had to make sure that they did it again or else he’d end up with Shinichi’s horrible luck and a dead body on his hands. Usually he was pretty good and Shinichi didn’t mind playing along, but mornings after they had sex, well…

Let’s just say that Kaito now knew every detective in Division One by name and had almost all of their life stories committed to memory.

So Shinichi and he had gotten into the habit of a ‘morning kiss’. They’d kiss, wait for something bad to happen to Kaito, and then kiss again. If nothing bad happened, Kaito would get two more kisses or any other number of pairs depending on how urgently or not Shinichi needed to get to work.

This morning, Shinichi had left before Kaito was even up. This did not bode well for Kaito’s day.

Groaning as he stretched, Kaito walked in a daze to the bathroom to do his morning business. He squirted toothpaste on his brush and shoved it into his mouth… only to make a noise of disgust and spit out the foul-tasting paste into the sink.

_Ugh, Shinichi’s toothpaste_ , Kaito thought, wrinkling his nose and spitting again. He knew, logically, that all ‘mint’ toothpastes tasted like mint, but something about Shinichi’s had always tasted harsh and _bleh_ to Kaito. How Shinichi couldn’t tell the difference was beyond him (Kaito would wager it had something to do with the massive amounts of black coffee the detective drank on a daily basis).

Rinsing his toothbrush in the sink, Kaito found the right tube of toothpaste and tried again, tongue finding the normal taste of his own a soothing balm after Shinichi’s.

Downstairs, Kaito pulled the tea kettle down from its storage spot and went to the sink to fill it for hot chocolate. He miscalculated the water direction and accidentally sprayed the lower half of his PJs. Second try was easier, but Kaito still frowned down at the soaked clothes, suspicious.

The reason for his suspicions? Shinichi’s luck acted differently on Kaito than it did on Shinichi.

Shinichi would find himself at a murder crime scene with predictable frequency and only occasionally would he find himself at the end of a gun.

Kaito found dead bodies with an exponentially higher rate and got tagged with the ‘everyday misfortunes’ –tripping over every crack in the sidewalk and dropping every cup of liquid all over him and anyone who stood next to him, just to name a few.

So far that morning, he’d grabbed the wrong toothpaste and splashed water from the sink faucet all over his shirt. Shinichi did always have that saying about patterns and threes…

Kaito really didn’t want to drop steaming hot chocolate all over himself just to test that theory.

Instead, he set the tea kettle on the stove and grabbed his phone, hitting the first speed-dial. The phone rang twice before he heard an answer. “ _Morning Kaito. Sorry about not waking you. Takagi called me this morning about a case he and Shiratori ran into. I know Saturday is usually our lazy day, so I figured at least you could enjoy-!”_

“I grabbed your toothpaste this morning,” Kaito said, feeling only slightly bad about cutting into Shinichi’s apology. “And splashed water from the sink onto my shirt.”

_“... and Takagi called me from work for a dead body,”_ Shinichi sighed. “ _That really should have tipped me off.”_

“Yeah,” Kaito agreed, eyeing the stove controls. If he turned it to high like he normally did, would it just heat the water for his hot chocolate? Or would he end up burning the house down? “Think you could head this way before a delivery man ends up keeling over on our porch due to time-delayed poisoning?”

“ _Yes, yes. I’ll head right home_ ,” Shinichi said, the bustle of the police department sounding behind him. “ _Just let me get this confession first and I’ll be right there_.”

“Please hurry,” Kaito said before saying good-bye and ending the call. He gave up on the stove and figured it would be better to just sit on the couch and not touch anything until his Tantei-kun got home. The worst that could happen then would be sleepy limbs.

The doorbell rang.

Kaito groaned and buried his face in his hands. Maybe this would teach Shinichi to leave without Kaito’s morning kiss...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just banged this out in about an hour, so it's probably not my best work, but I felt like it needed to be done. :) See you on Tuesday! (or possibly Monday. Don't know yet.)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the ideas of this fic.
> 
> PS - You may thank gnarynhar again for this update. :) They gave me more inspiration, but made me promise not to approve their comment. I was half-tempted to do so anyway. ;)
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy this chapter! The next update will most likely be next weekend, but I make no promises. I have a really big AU that I'm working on. I thought it would cap out at 10,000 words. :/ it has not.

Takeshi Hikaru had thought life would get easier after graduating from the academy. Instead of being forced to run countless drills, he would get real time on the streets with a real badge, a real gun, and a real partner.

Instead, he got Tokyo Police Department, Division One.

When he first showed up, he didn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary. Sure, every officer seemed to be wearing a different colored version of a bracelet with the letters HYKKT printed on its rubber face, but every group was unique, right? All places of work had their own fads and statement pieces. TPD just really liked rubber bracelets.

(Although, he did wonder. What did HYKKT stand for? Haunt Yokels Killing Kebabs Today? Hot Yoko Kicks KID’s Tush?)

Takeshi thought it was normal up to the point that Officer Takagi handed one over with his orientation packet.

“And here’s your Kudou Bracelet,” Takagi said as he shoved a blue band into Takashi’s hands. “Make sure to flash it at him if it is any time before nine o’clock, okay?”

“Um…” Takeshi stared down at the bracelet, then back up at his senpai. “Why?”

“It’s, uh…” Takagi scratched the back of his head, “hard to explain. It’s really just better for everyone if we do.”

“But that doesn’t explain anything! And how am I supposed to know who…?”

“ _He’s here!_ ” an officer shouted from the hall. At that moment, a man in a sharply pressed suit appeared in the doorway, Holmes novel in hand. Immediately, Takeshi recognized the ‘Savior of Division One’, Kudou Shinichi, a man said to have solved a thousand cases _while still a teenager_. Despite his seated position, Takeshi felt his knees go weak.

Then every officer, Takagi included, turned to hold their wrists up, bracelets proudly (if slightly threateningly) displayed.

At the silence in the department, Kudou looked up from his book. His eyes looked a little dazed from his flight of fiction, but they rolled none-the-less when he spied the bracelets. He closed his book with a snap of the hard cover. “Yes, I did, everyone. I stuck around to make sure of it this time. And wouldn’t it be more effective if _I_ wore them?”

“Kudou-kun, you forget to _sleep_ sometimes,” Satou noted with displeasure. “With _your luck_ , you’d not only forget to follow its instructions, but also forget to _wear it_.”

Kudou frowned at that, but it looked more like some childish pout, something Takeshi never thought he’d see on an adult three years his senior. He also thought he heard some grumbling that sounded suspiciously like: “But not with _his_ luck.” But that didn’t make sense.

Luck wasn’t real. Just a notion of some bias to the objective odds.

“Kudou,” Megure called from his office, face dark. “You’re just in time. We got a call.”

Everyone in the office tensed as they looked back to their Inspector.

“What is it this time?” Kudou asked, partly curious, partly apprehensive.

“Bomb threat,” Megure answered shortly. Despite his words, the department seemed to _relax_. Takeshi looked around in confusion at the officers who were tugging down their sleeves over the HYKKT bracelets.

“Uh, Takagi-senpai?” Takeshi called at a whisper. “Aren’t bomb threats, you know, _serious_?”

“Huh? Oh! Yes, they are,” Takagi nodded. “But it’s better than the alternative.”

Better than the alternative? What’s worse than _bomb threats?!_

“Did the caller find one?” Kudou asked, getting straight down to business.

“More like _planted_ one,” Megure replied, pulling out a recorder that had taped their conversation. “He said that he had to ‘right a wrong done to one so small’ and gave some other cryptic comments. You can have a listen here.”

Kudou took a set of headphones, holding one end up to his ear. From the other, Takeshi could hear soft murmurings about stars and planets and the sun. And something about Greek gods? Or was it Roman?

“It’s more than one, Megure-keibu,” Kudou said, after having listened to the whole track only once. “By his theme of celestial bodies, I’d say we’re looking for eight bombs scattered throughout the scientific communities in not only Tokyo, but _all_ of Japan. We only have a few hours to track them all down. If we want to prevent any casualties, we need all hands on deck.”

“I’ll put in a call to Hattori-kun and Hakuba-kun,” Megure said. “You start on narrowing down locations.”

Kudou gave an absent nod, already unrolling a map of Japan onto the Inspector’s desk.

“Takagi!” Megure shouted, causing Takagi to straighten in salute with Takeshi quickly copying him. “Take the new recruit out to start interviewing people and see if we can’t track down where this call originated from. Our triangular location put him just outside of Edogawa, but he’s likely to have moved. Be careful!”

“Yes sir!” Takagi nodded firmly before leading Takeshi away. The rookie’s hands shook with excitement.

First day on the job and he already had a large case on his hands? Transferring here was the best choice _ever_!

*             *             *             *             *

Transferring here was the _worst_ choice ever.

Just like Kudou had said, there were eight bombs planted throughout the country. Takeshi had just spent the last 96 hours tracking them down and evacuating civilians so the bomb squad could cut in. He’d also tracked down the would-be terrorist or, more like, found the criminal _exactly_ where Kudou had predicted he would be. Everything was wrapping up, but one thing.

There was another bomb, one the would-be terrorist _refused_ to reveal the location of.

Takeshi buried his face in his hands. He was going on four days without sleep and at least 16 hours since his last meal. He was past his breaking point and Kudou had to be the same, but…

That detective didn’t show the slightest sign of stopping. He had bags under his eyes and a paler complexion than Takeshi had first seen, but Kudou still stood tall like a statue, cold as stone and unforgiving. He would find the last bomb, Takeshi just knew it.

“It’s getting close to time,” Megure said quietly at Kudou’s side. Takeshi kept his face down. He felt bad about listening in, but he didn’t hesitate in the least. It was better to know than be surprised. “Do you think you can find it?”

“I know I can,” Kudou answered easily. Takeshi imagined his eyes trained on the criminal through the one-way glass like they had been for the last few hours. He heard the detective heave a sigh. “But can I do it with enough time to evacuate the location? With enough time to get our bomb squad in? If that’s your question, I don’t know if I can give you the answer you want, Inspector.”

“Hmm…” the two grew quiet. “Shall I have him come here?”

Kudou sighed again. “Seems like our best bet, but, fair warning, you’ll need your best men here to guard him.”

Guard him? Were they bringing in someone dangerous? Someone even worse than this guy? Were they bringing in a _successful_ terrorist?

Megure patted Kudou on the back. “I’ll make sure no harm comes to him while your luck is switched.”

Wait, what?

*             *             *             *             *

Ryuji Takeru smirked at the interrogator’s latest attempt to make him talk. Kept in the interrogation room for ten hours now, he had a good idea about the department’s state of mind and –oh boy.

They were panicking.

Served them _right_. Someone should be panicking, someone should be feeling the utter desperation that came from falling short on their duty. Someone should feel the pain he felt when his _entire life’s work_ was reduced to _rubbish_!

Soon now, oh yes, very soon.

He would never tell of the location of his final surprise. The seconds would tick down and – _boom_! Sweet, sweet _revenge_.

*             *             *             *             *

“Keibu! We brought him as fast as we could!” Takagi shouted as he and a group of officers raced down the hall in bodyguard fashion. Takeshi’s eyebrows went up when he spied the civilian in the middle. At first glance, he looked similar to Kudou, like they could have been brothers.

But brothers did not _kiss_ each other like that!

Takeshi’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as the civilian flung himself at Kudou and smacked a big one straight on the lips. He heard _moans_ over the sound of his own hyperventilation and –was that _tongue_?!

Before Takeshi actually _died of embarrassment_ , the civilian pulled back to pat Kudou on the chest. “Go get him, _honeybuns_.”

“Sure thing, _sweet thing_ ,” Kudou turned a glare onto the no-longer-smirking criminal. “I’ll get right on that.”

“Thank you for your assistance, Kuroba-san,” Takagi said as he gestured to a comfy looking chair in a desolate corner of the room, far out of reach of everything, even the coffee maker. “Now if you would like to take a seat?”

“Oh, sure!” the civilian, Kuroba-san, turned to do so and nearly took a header to the wall that had been _three feet away_ _from him_. How did he _do that_?! “I’m okay!”

Takeshi didn’t think so.

“I’ll be right back, Kaito!” Kudou called as he opened the door to the hallway. “Promise!”

Then he disappeared out the door, only to appear in the interrogation room but seconds later.

It was show time.

*             *             *             *             *

What… what was this…? This feeling? Of absolute _dread_ and _fear_? It felt like the Shinigamis themselves were upon him! It felt as though his very life lay in the balance, his deeds of the past few days the final weight upon the scales of life! Ryuji had never felt so much guilt and remorse before!

What was going on? He’d been fine not two minutes ago! Then the interrogators had left him to fiddle and fidget, same as he’d done for hours so far! Nothing had changed, nothing at all! So why-?!

Then the door opened.

In stepped a young detective, suit so sharply pressed that he _had_ to have had it ironed just that morning. His hair was perfectly combed but for one small spot that rebelliously held itself aloft. His shoulders tensed with such a quiet strength that Ryuji knew without a doubt this detective was leagues above the ones who had just left his room.

Then he saw those eyes, eyes that promised to wreak the justice his guilt demanded. Eyes that _knew_ his darkest secrets without a word said between them. Eyes that promised redemption but for a small, small price.

Before he could stop himself, Ryuji’s confession spilled out.

*             *             *             *             *

It didn’t make sense.

Takeshi stared at the interrogation room, where their suspect had been detained for _ten hours_ without a hint of a break in his façade, was _spilling his guts_ like there was no tomorrow. The man had gone through _five sets_ of interrogators and hadn’t broken a sweat. Yet all it took was Kudou stepping into the room for the man to break down.

It didn’t make sense.

No man that strong-willed, that _single-minded_ , would ever cave to the mere _presence_ of another human.

“I did not know it was possible for someone to love Pluto that much,” Hattori, one of the other lead officers on the case, said from Takeshi’s left. “It’s kind of creepy.”

“Like loving cases as much as you do, isn’t?” Hakuba, another lead officer to his right, replied with a raised brow. “One would start to question your love of homicide, Hattori-kun.”

“It’s for the _mysteries_ , ya prick!” Hattori snapped. He settled his head back on his crossed arms, looking bored now that Kudou had the guy yacking up a storm. “And the same could be said for _you_ , y’know.”

“I never said it couldn’t,” Hakuba looked at Takeshi, eyes scanning him, then softening with recognition. “This is your first time witnessing the Luck-Swap, isn’t it?”

Takeshi blinked, startling himself out of a fog. “What?”

“Luck-Swap,” Hattori elbowed him. “When Kudou and Kuroba switch their luck. Kudou becomes a case-solving _machine_ -!”

“And Kuroba becomes a walking _disaster_ , not only to himself, but everyone around him too,” Hakuba said, looking over to where Kuroba hadn’t moved an inch since he’d sat down. The way the civilian strained made it seem like he wasn’t used to sitting so still. “How long do you think it’ll be before the first body shows up?”

Body? What?

“How long’s it been since they swapped?”

Swapped? Swapped their luck?

“Ten minutes.”

“Eh, I’d give it another five.”

Minutes? Why?

“Think they’ll just walk in through the front door?”

“With what Kudou’s doing now? Nah, they’ll fall through the roof.”

Fall? Through the _roof_?

“Want to make a bet?”

“Hmm… what are the stakes?”

“What do you _want_ them to be?”

“F-Fuck you, Hakuba!”

“That could be arranged.”

“Quit that!”

It dawned on Takeshi, like the morning sun after a bleak night.

None of this was real. This luck swapping, this tiresome case, this _body falling through the roof to land at his feet._

“Score! Pay up, Hakuba!”

“Drat.”

None of this was real, because Takeshi was in the Matrix. In the Matrix, things like this could happen and no one would question it. Things like this could be everyday occurrences and be completely scientifically sound.

Or he was dreaming, but Takeshi liked the idea of the Matrix more. That meant there was a chance he could be Neo.

*             *             *             *             *

“You were great today,” Kaito said as he draped himself over Shinichi’s shoulders. Shinichi tipped his head back to look up at his lover from the couch. He frowned.

“I only got last bomb because of you,” Shinichi pointed out. “I wouldn’t exactly call that a glowing review.”

“Hey, eight out of nine ain’t bad,” Kaito shrugged and did a complicated gymnastic maneuver that ended with his head in Shinichi’s lap and Shinichi’s hands in his hair. “Besides, you were basing your deductions on the fact that Pluto is no longer a planet.”

“And that only works when the person we’re dealing with is _not_ a raging Pluto researcher who had his life’s work thrown out the hypothetical window of the scientific community.” Shinichi let out a sigh and ran his fingers through Kaito’s hair. “All because Pluto is only a dwarf planet. Still, if you hadn’t already been on your way, we might not have found that last bomb in time.”

“And to think, that confession only cost you a homicidal helicopter tour guide and some egotistical foreign actor,” Kaito grinned up at Shinichi.

“I’m not sure whether I should be happy or not that you seem relatively used to bodies falling from the sky,” Shinichi scowled at him.

“Happy,” Kaito answered for him. “Otherwise, I would have run away by now.”

“Happy then,” Shinichi nodded. “Besides, it was _you_ that had to pay that fine. You had my luck at that point. I know I had it before because I remembered to kiss you this morning… that morning… whatever morning that was.”

“Ah, so the department’s Have-You-Kiss-Kaito-Today bracelets are working? Glad to hear it,” Kaito grinned cheekily. “My hard work has paid off!”

“I’m still trying to figure out how you persuaded almost one hundred manly men to wear multi-colored bracelets around a professional workplace.”

“Once they realized that they would rather have the bodies come to you instead of trying to track me down throughout the city, convincing them was easy. It was getting all of their favorite colors that was the hard part.”

“Oh, poor you. Working so hard.”

“Yes. Poor me,” Kaito flashed him a look that could only be described using words like ‘sexy’ and ‘bedroom’. “You should reward my hard work.”

“You don’t have to bargain for it,” Shinichi smiled softly as he leaned down. “All you have to do is ask…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, thank gnarynhar for the inspiration and be on the look-out for my newest AU (whenever it decides it has enough backstory and drama. :P )


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> The last two times I broke hiatus, it was with this fic, so I decided to keep my record rolling. :) 
> 
> This chapter was brought to you by two comments this time! Gnarynhar, as usual, and Telepath, who wanted to see what Kaito's original luck looks like! :) Be sure to thank these two lovely readers!
> 
> I and still writing the tail end of SGN part 7, but more on that with it's next update. ;)

Takeshi left his house Monday morning in a much better state of mind. After the previous week’s serial murderer, everyone on that case had been given the weekend off along with the following Monday. Three days away from the Department, the HYKKT bracelets, and the chaotic confession (hat Takeshi believe he had actually dreamed up along with the falling body), and Takeshi was ready to dive in head-first again.

Most of the morning was paperwork and statement taking for the previous week, then writing his own report of his actions and part in the case. By noon, his stomach was starting to growl at him, so he decided it was lunch time. Takeshi had just logged off his computer when Hattori Heiji ambushed him.

“Oi, Rookie!” Hattori kicked the leg of Takeshi’s desk, startling the other. “You want to head out to lunch with us? Hakuba’s paying.”

Paying? Hakuba was? But…

Hadn’t that been a sleep deprived hallucination?

“I promised to pay for _you_ ,” Hakuba said from further back where he had his phone to his ear. “I extend no such promises to others.”

“Cheapskate,” Hattori grumbled then turned back to Takeshi. “So, are you in or what? It’ll probably end in a murder, you know. Fun stuff.”

“Murder?” Takeshi paled.

“Or robbery. With Hakuba and me, it’s fifty-fifty.” Hattori shrugged. “But we’ll get to enjoy a nice meal, maybe even dessert before then.”

“Kudou-kun is coming with us,” Hakuba called over.

Hattori winced. “Okay, definitely murder then. Dang, I was hoping that I could enjoy a _hot meal_ today.”

“He wants to know if Kuroba-kun can join us?” Hakuba asked. Hattori looked contemplative.

“Has he kissed him today?” Hattori asked, making Takeshi’s jaw drop. Three days off, eight-hour nights, well-balanced meals and this was _still happening_?

Maybe… maybe he really was in the Matrix?

He didn’t remember choosing any colored pills though.

Wait… was that the _bracelets_?

“Yes, he has,” Hakuba confirmed.

“Then yes. In fact, _insist_ on it.” Hattori pointed to Hakuba as an emphasis, then looked back to Takeshi. “With Kuroba, our meal won’t be interrupted, but you might want to plan on getting dessert to go.”

Takeshi understood. He got it now.

He wasn’t Neo.

Hattori was.

“So, are you in or what?” Hattori asked. Takeshi could only nod his head and grab his things.

They met Kudou and Kuroba at a somewhat nice restaurant –good food, not too expensive. They passed their meal in polite conversation. Takeshi learned that Hakuba often visited London, where he grew up, and Hattori sometimes tagged along, much to Kudou’s jealousy. Kudou himself had thousands of cases to his reputation, something Takeshi knew, and had a small gig as a free-lance mystery writer as a result, something Takeshi _didn’t_ know. It was begrudging, as far as Takeshi could tell.

And Kuroba Kaito was… well… _Kuroba Kaito_ , magician extraordinaire! He had three consecutive nominations to his name to Magician of the Year awards, along with hundreds of others he’d collected over the years. His fame had only been growing since meeting Muni Kanato, most sought after manager in all of show business.

Takeshi had always been a bit of a fan, even if he was a detective. He just couldn’t help himself but to ask. “So, is it true? What they say about how Muni took you on?”

“Which one? The one with the crime-fighting bear? Or the dancing fairies in the park?” Kuroba smirked at him even though Takeshi had no idea what rumors he was talking about (but kind of wanted to learn). “It wasn’t anything really big, to be honest. I was just practicing my routine in the park for the kids. A street band had teamed up with me that day to work on some Improv and earn a little extra cash. Music _and_ entertainment? Tends to bring in more pocket change.”

Seems about right.

“Muni-san had been in a hurry to meet with a potential client. The park happened to be a short-cut and I just happened to be in the way of his mad dash that day.” Kuroba shrugged. “He nearly ran into me, but, being the master of improvisation that I am, I move out of the way, caught his papers when he tripped and ended up making him a part of the show when the band played sound effects. The kids loved it! I apologized afterwards, especially when I heard that he had been headed to a meeting, but he didn’t seem to care. Next thing I knew, I was signing on with him as a novice magician!”

“Even back then, you were _far_ from novice.” Kudou looked over at him with a soft, sappy stare.

Kuroba returned the look with a bubbly, “Oh, you!”

The sheer thought of Kuroba _accidentally_ running into Muni was insane.

The chance of getting an unscheduled meeting with Muni was one in one thousand.

Actually being taken on by the senior manager? One in _millions_.

Kuroba was insanely lucky, Takeshi decided, just like Hattori was insanely good at predictions.

Like he’d guessed, just in time for dessert, one of the patrons a few tables over dropped dead.

That sealed it.

Hattori was Neo.

“We’ll just have those to go,” Hattori told the waitress who had just taken their dessert order. “And if you could bring the bills around, we’ll be over there with the body. Hakuba?”

“Backup en route,” Hakuba said as he put his phone in his breast pocket.

“Ambulance?”

“Also on the way,” Kudou answered. He pressed a kiss to Kuroba’s lips… then a second one. “Have a good time at rehearsal.”

“I will!” Kuroba said as he grabbed his jacket and went to pay for himself.

“Hey.” Hattori nudged Hakuba. “Bet you it’s a jealous ex-girlfriend.”

“Hardly.” Hakuba turned up his nose. “One of the staff members, has to be.”

“Another lunch?”

“You’re on.”

It was the girlfriend. Hattori’s predictions remained true.

“How did you know?”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”

Wait a minute… predictions! Could it be?

“If you keep making bets like this, I’ll end up eating my way through your wallet, Hakuba.”

“Are you sure that isn’t my plan?”

“…Hah?”

That’s it! Hattori wasn’t Neo –he was the _Oracle_!

“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, after all.”

“… _Haaaah?”_

Takeshi still had a chance! He could still be Neo!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, still working on the end of SGN part 7. The characters decided they didn't want to play nice, half-way through the story, so it's taken more time than I first thought.
> 
> Most likely, I will have two updates next week, both on the Next Conan Hint to delete my hiatus chapter, then move on to an update a week for SGN (future complications not-withstanding). So be sure to look forward to those! :D

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to say "Good job!" or "Sequel please!", just leave a Kudo (or Kaito, I'm not picky. ;) ). If you have any *constructive criticism*, please leave a comment. I am working hard to change the quality of my work, so please let me know if I'm doing something wrong or right.


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